ALBION DEBUT IN THE NEW FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE

12 July 2017

Paul Hazlewood

Fantasy Premier League has returned for the 2017/18 season and, for the first time ever, Seagulls fans can sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s players to their squad.

The game is free to play and you can now register your team in time for the big kick-off on 11th August - with the option to include the likes of Glenn Murray, Anthony Knockaert and the club's new signings Maty Ryan and Pascal Gross.

Start by selecting your 15-man line-up using a £100 million budget and you can tinker with your squad using the unlimited transfers feature, which is available until Gameweek one.

What if you opt to snap up Ryan in goal, or cover your defence by swooping for Lewis Dunk? Both are available for £4.5 million.

You can select up to three Albion players, so you could reserve a place for 2016/17 Player of the Season Knockaert, who will set you back £6.0m, with Murray also available for that price - while new midfield playmaker Pascal Gross is available at £5.5m.

Once your squad is built, you can create and join up to 15 private leagues with friends.Play in classic leagues – with total points deciding the rankings – or head-to-head, where managers duel each Gameweek, earning three points for a win and one for a draw.

Strategic chips are on hand to help boost your squad and, for 2017/18, a new Free Hit chip has arrived.

Use this to bring in a temporary new squad for a single Gameweek, with your previous line-up returning a week later.

There are also two Wildcards available. Put these in play to rebuild your entire squad – ideal if you miss out on form players or suffer injuries.

Meanwhile, the Triple Captain and Bench Boost chips can help you earn big scores to beat your rivals and climb the ranks.

The highest-scoring managers each Gameweek and over the month will win prizes, along with the top three managers for the season - and look out for club-specific awards throughout the season.

There is also a new way to play in 2017/18 with Fantasy Premier League Draft. In this game, and for the first time ever, you can take on friends with a 15-man squad that is unique to you.

FPL Draft is also free to play and will launch in the week of 17 July to run alongside the regular Fantasy Premier League game.